3 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Peaceful, slightly shy.
380 species in our list are a good match.
Peaceful, slightly shy.
Flakes, micro-pellets, frozen foods.
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How hard to tell: Easy
Tip: Throat colour
From the checked notes: “Females are brownish with a dark side stripe and noticeably larger than males. Breeding males turn bright orange with a dark blue-black throat and belly. Males of ornamental colour strains do not show these breeding colours.” Numbers sit on the part of the body each difference is about. Tap a picture to see it bigger.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Bubble-nester · Moderate
Bubble-nester that forms temporary pairs; the male builds and guards the nest. Use gentle filtration such as an air-driven sponge filter.
Keep one pair in a calm tank. Condition well with small live foods.
A 10 gallon (40 L) planted tank, 26-28 C, floating plants and a lid. Soft, slightly acidic water works best.
Warm, stable water and dense floating plants. The male weaves a small nest in plants.
Eggs hatch in about 24-36 hours; fry swim freely 24-48 hours later and are very small.
Feed infusoria and then baby brine shrimp. Remove the female after spawning and the male when fry swim free. Fry are tiny and grow slowly at first.
A small, gentle gourami from the Ganges floodplain. Almost all fish sold are farm-bred, including red, sunset and gold strains; the red form may have been created by crossing with the thick-lipped gourami (T. labiosa).
Francis Hamilton described the honey gourami in 1822 in his work on Ganges fishes. Breeding males turn honey-orange with a dark blue-black throat. Its gentle temperament makes it a good alternative to the dwarf gourami, and a golden form is common in shops.
First described by Francis Hamilton in 1822.
16 facts checked with sources
Described by Hamilton, 1822. Older synonyms seen in shops and books: Colisa chuna, Colisa sota, Trichopodus chuna. Many fish sold as 'honey' or 'sunset' gourami are ornamental strains; Seriously Fish says the red form was produced possibly via hybridisation with T. labiosa, so shop 'red honey' fish may not be pure T. chuna.
FishBase: Trichogaster chuna summary · Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chunaLegacy has no family field; sourced value recorded. FishBase places the order as Anabantiformes.
FishBase: Trichogaster chuna summarySeriously Fish gives 5.5 cm SL (standard length); legacy 5 cm is within rounding. FishBase's 13.7 cm TL is far above every other account for this species and looks like a data error, so it is not used.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chuna · FishBase: Trichogaster chuna summaryFishBase matches legacy (22-28); Seriously Fish (preferred for husbandry) tops out at 27.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chuna · FishBase: Trichogaster chuna summaryLegacy has no hardness; Seriously Fish range recorded (preferred for husbandry).
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chuna · FishBase: Trichogaster chuna summary60 x 30 cm base x 30 cm height = 54 L, which Seriously Fish says is enough for 'a pair or small group'.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chunaSeriously Fish says the species 'does seem to require interaction with conspecifics'; legacy suggested it can be kept singly.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chunaSource describes a timid, slow fish to be kept with peaceful tankmates, which supports 'peaceful' in substance.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chunaNo source names a swimming level; FishBase only says benthopelagic.
FishBase: Trichogaster chuna summarySeriously Fish's care rating panel lists the species as suitable for beginners.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chunaLegacy has no range field. Seriously Fish adds that wild fish are rare in the trade: 'virtually all fish on sale produced commercially'.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chuna · FishBase: Trichogaster chuna summaryLegacy text verified; added that females are larger and that the throat-colour tip fails on red/gold strains.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chunaHatch time verified. The legacy egg count (50-300) was not found in any source checked.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chuna'Smallest' and 'alternative to a betta' are not stated in any source, so the story was rewritten around sourced facts.
Seriously Fish: Trichogaster chuna